Transport of Dtmf Tones Over Voatm/Voip Networks

1. A method of operating a network device connected to receive and transmit signals from and to both a circuit-switched network and a packet-switched network, the method comprising steps of: receiving, from the circuit-switched network, a telephony signal containing a voice signal component representing voice signals and a Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) signal component representing at least one DTMF tone; determining if a duration of the DTMF signal component is less than a predetermined duration; formatting a DTMF packet to represent at least the DTMF signal component, the DTMF packet including information indicating a duration of at least a minimum amount for the DTMF signal component if the DTMF signal component was less than the predetermined duration; transmitting the formatted data packet on the packet-switched network; formatting an audio data packet to represent the audio signal components; determining if a time of expected playback of the DTMF packet would overlap with a time of expected playback of the audio data packet; dropping portions of the audio data packet; and transmitting the audio data packet onto the packet network.

2. A method as in claim 1 additionally comprising: if the determined duration of the DTMF signal component is less than the predetermined duration amount, setting a duration data parameter of the DTMF packet to indicate a minimum duration.

3. A method as in claim 2 additionally comprising: if the determined duration is not less than the predetermined duration amount, setting the duration parameter in the DTMF packet to a value that is based on the determined duration.

4. A method as in claim 1 additionally wherein the formatted data packet is an Real time Transport Protocol (RTP) packet.

5. A method as in claim 1 additionally wherein the dropped portion of the audio packet includes a portion where the audio packet would overlap in time with the DTMF packet.

6. A method as in claim 1 wherein the network device is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateway.

7. A communication apparatus comprising: a interface, for receiving a telephony signal containing a voice signal component representing voice signals and a Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) signal component representing at least one DTMF tone; a detector, for determining if a duration of the DTMF signal component is less than a predetermined duration; a packet formatter, for formatting a packet to represent at least the DTMF signal component, the formatted packet indicating a duration of at least a minimum amount for the DTMF signal component if the DTMF signal component was less than a predetermined duration; an audio packet formatter, for formatting an audio data packet to represent the audio signal components; a playback time analyzer, for determining if a time of expected playback of the DTMF tone represented in the formatted packet would overlap with a time of expected playback of the audio data packet; and the audio packet formatter further dropping one or more portions of the audio data packet.

8. An apparatus as in claim 7 wherein the packet formatter is additionally for, if the determined duration of the DTMF signal component is less than the predetermined duration amount, setting a duration data parameter of the formatted packet to indicate a minimum duration.

9. An apparatus as in claim 8 wherein the packet formatter is additionally for, if the determined duration is not less than the predetermined duration amount, setting the duration parameter in the formatted packet to a value that is based on the determined duration.

10. An apparatus as in claim 7 wherein the formatted packet is an Real time Transport Protocol (RTP) packet.

11. An apparatus as in claim 7 additionally wherein the dropped portion(s) of the audio packet include a portion where the audio packet would overlap in time with the DTMF tone represented in the formatted packet.

12. An apparatus as in claim 7 wherein the network device is an origin gateway in a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

13. An apparatus for operating a network device connected to receive and transmit signals from and to both a circuit-switched network and a packet-switched network, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from the circuit-switched network, a telephony signal containing a voice signal component representing voice signals and a Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) signal component representing at least one DTMF tone; means for determining if a duration of the DTMF signal component is less than a predetermined duration; means for formatting a DTMF packet to represent at least the DTMF signal component, the DTMF packet including information indicating a duration of at least a minimum amount for the DTMF signal component if the DTMF signal component was less than the predetermined duration; means for transmitting the formatted data packet on the packet-switched network; means for formatting an audio data packet to represent the audio signal components; means for determining if a time of expected playback of the DTMF packet would overlap with a time of expected playback of the audio data packet; means for dropping portions of the audio data packet; and means for transmitting the audio data packet onto the packet network.

14. An apparatus as in claim 13 additionally comprising: means for, if the determined duration of the DTMF signal component is less than the predetermined duration amount, setting a duration data parameter of the DTMF packet to indicate a minimum duration.

15. An apparatus as in claim 14 additionally comprising: means for, if the determined duration is not less than the predetermined duration amount, setting the duration parameter in the DTMF packet to a value that is based on the determined duration.

16. An apparatus as in claim 15 additionally wherein the formatted data packet is an Real time Transport Protocol (RTP) packet.

17. An apparatus as in claim 13 additionally wherein the dropped portion of the audio packet includes a portion where the audio packet would overlap in time with the DTMF packet.

18. An apparatus as in claim 13 wherein the network device is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateway.

19. A computer program product comprising computer readable instructions stored in a computer readable media and the instructions to be carried out on a data receiver system code containing instructions for receiving a telephony signal containing a voice signal component representing voice signals and a Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) signal component representing at least one DTMF tone; determining if a duration of the DTMF signal component is less than a predetermined duration: formatting a packet to represent at least the DTMF signal component, the formatted packet indicating a duration of at least a minimum amount for the DTMF signal component if the DTMF signal component was less than a predetermined duration; formatting an audio data packet to represent the audio signal components; determining if a time of expected playback of the DTMF tone represented in the formatted packet would overlap with a time of expected playback of the audio data packet; and further dropping one or more portions of the audio data packet.

20. A computer program product as in claim 19 wherein the packet formatter is additionally for, if the determined duration of the DTMF signal component is less than the predetermined duration amount, setting a duration data parameter of the formatted packet to indicate a minimum duration.

21. A computer program product as in claim 20 wherein the packet formatter is additionally for, if the determined duration is not less than the predetermined duration amount, setting the duration parameter in the formatted packet to a value that is based on the determined duration.

22. A computer program product as in claim 19 wherein the formatted packet is an Real time Transport Protocol (RTP) packet.

23. A computer program product as in claim 19 additionally wherein the dropped portion(s) of the audio packet include a portion where the audio packet would overlap in time with the DTMF tone represented in the formatted packet.